In 2004 Metla set new records in the numbers of both scientific and
popularised publications. To provide an indication of the productivity,
on average, five Metla publications and four presentations were produced
for every working day.
Continuous assessment of research projects at all phases of the work
is a prerequisite to guarantee high-level and effective research. In addition
to the annual assessments of the projects, the aspen and mycorrhiza research
projects were assessed.
Aspen is the fourth most important tree species in Finland. It is extremely
well suited for use as raw material for homogenous, opaque printing paper.
It is our only tree species capable of challenging the short-fibred southern
Eucalyptus and Acacia. Another advantage of the hybrid aspen, a cross-breed
of the Finnish and Canadian aspen, is its speed of growth. On the best
growth sites it grows to reach fibre wood height in 15-20 years and timber
wood in 30-40 years. Metla has studied the growth and use properties of
aspen since 1998. Although the current cultivation area of aspen is rather
small, the species is a good alternative to growing coniferous trees around
the Baltic basin.
The aspen research of Metla was considered important and the scope of
the research projects was extensive, including the different subfields
of growth and application of aspen: biological rationale, seedling production
and cultivation techniques, risk assessment and breeding characteristics.
| "Metla
repeatedly set new records in the numbers of both scientific and popularised
publications. To provide an indication of the productivity, on average,
five Metla publications and four presentations were produced for every
working day." |
According to an external evaluation, the project should have included
more research planning in order to avoid overlapping research. Other causes
of criticism were not meeting the project schedules and partly also exceeding
the resource allocations. The evaluation report suggested that in addition
to scientific articles, concise status reports and popularised articles
should also be published on, for example, Metla's Projects website. The
report suggested that further research should include projects on how
the forest owner, geneticist, and end user can affect the quality of the
raw material.
Metla has conducted research on the importance of mycorrhiza for the
early development of spruce seedlings. The trees in the Boreal coniferous
zone are dependent on mycorrhiza for their nutritional value. The aim
is to find mycorrhiza species that can be inoculated to trees already
at nurseries to enhance the vitality of the seedlings after planting.
Economically the study is extremely significant. About a quarter or 50
million seedlings being planted in Finland every year die within a few
years from planting. If the mortality of seedlings could be reduced by
a few tens of percent, it would mean annual savings of more than ten million
euros. Alternatively, more viable seedlings could be planted less densely
than today.
According to an international evaluation Metla's research on mycorrhiza
is excellent. Isolating the mycorrhiza is difficult and their growth rate
is slow. The strength of the study was the amount of mycorrhiza in field
experiments. In the future, it will be advisable to develop different
kinds of mycorrhiza and production methods for them. A survey should be
made on how many different mycorrhiza species could be industrially produced.
The report suggested that Metla should study what kind of impact mycorrhiza
have on the survival and growth of trees using different time scales.
Extensive, multi-disciplinary research programs are an effective way
to focus research correctly. The research must reflect the changing needs
of society. Metla's extensive research programmes include the National
Forest Inventory (NFI), silviculture, potential for the utilisation of
roundwood and the pools of carbon reservoirs in Finnish forests.
In 2004 Metla started the preparative work for a new research programme
"Safeguarding forest biodiversity - policy instruments and socio-economic
impacts". The programme will address the economic and social
effects by statutory and voluntary forms of conservation. It is an example
of research serving mainly forest owners and the general public. Customers
for programmes of this kind, showing the social responsibility of the
research institute, cannot be responsible for the main funding of operations.
This is what makes Metla crucially different from research institutions
that receive the majority of their funds from industry and commerce.
Kari Mielikäinen
Research Director, Professor
 |
International specialists assessed
Metla's mycorrhiza research. Metla has conducted research on
the significance of mycorrhiza in the early development of spruce
seedlings. The aim is to find mycorrhiza species that would enhance
the vitality of the seedlings after planting. |
 |
National specialists assessed
the aspen research conducted in collaboration with
Metla and M-Real. Aspen is the fourth most important tree species
in Finland. It is extremely well suited for use as raw material for
paper. The hybrid aspen, a cross-breed of Finnish and Canadian aspen,
grows to reach fibre wood height in 15-20 years and timber wood in
30-40 years. Aspen is an alternative way to regenerate spuce stands
suffering from root rot. |
